Car door and step mechanism.



C. H. TURNER.

CAR DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILE D JAN.9I. 1915.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. UMTW/ZM .9? m.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co., WASHINGTON. I:v c.

C. H. TURNER.

CAR DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.9, 1915.

1,1 M239. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

C. H. TURNER.

CAR DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.9.19|5.

Llfifl39 Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA vLANnukAPn COHWASHINGTON n c.

C. H. TURNER.

CAR DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM.

APPUCATION FILED JAN-9,19I5. 1,16%23. Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Wnesses: *6 1 7' 7? ilhiiTltU STA UFFTM CHARLES H. TURNER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 OSGOOD BRADLEY CAR COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR DOOR AND STEP MECHANISM.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES H. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at orcester, in the county of WVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Car Door and Step Mechanism,

of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a car door and step mechanism and is particularly designed for use in connection with side platform doors upon passenger cars. Such cars, particularly if. designed for electric operation, are commonly provided with side entrance and exit platform doors and with an outside step below the platform level. It is desirable that this step should be removed from operative position when the doors are closed to prevent any attempt to board the car while in motion. In some instances separate steps have been provided for entrance and exit and each step has been actuated only in connection with its respective door. In other instances a single long step for both doors has been operated in connection with simultaneous opening or closing of both doors. The first arrangement involves duplication of parts and also seriously limits the available step surface when one door only is open. The second arrangement places an unnecessary burden upon the employee who operates the controlling mechanism, as both entrance and exit doors must be moved whenever either entrance or exit is desired, whereasin the majority of instances a single door only will be actually used.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved door and step mechanism so constructed that a single long step will be moved to operative position whenever either the entrance or the exit door is opened and also when both doors are opened together. The step is designed to remain in operative position as long as either door is open and to be moved to inoperative position upon the closing of the second door.

My invention further relates to certainde vices, arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of my invention is shown in the drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a car platform, with my improved door and step mecha- Specification of Letters Patent. I Patgntefl DQQ', 14 1915 App1ication filed January 9, 1915.

Serial No. 1,424.

nism applied thereto; Figs. 2 and 3 are companion views showing the entrance and exit doors 1n closed position with the step raised;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Figs. 2. and 3 but showing the entrance door open and the step lowered; Figs. 6 and 7 are vertical sectional views taken along the lines 6-45 in Fig. 3, and 77 in Fig. 5 respec tively, and Fig. 8 is an elevation of the conductors dividing rail, with the door-operating handles and connections.

Referring to the drawlngs, 10 indicates the car body havlng a platform 11. ad acent thereto, provided with entrance and. The doors 12 and 13 exit doors 12 and 13. are shown as formed of two panels or sections each and are arranged to fold out wardly when opened, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The door 12 is pivoted upon an upright shaft 14 extending longitudinally both above and below the door. The door 13 is slmilarly pivoted upon an upright shaft 15.

The car step 16 is mounted upon arms 1717 (Figs. 1, 6 and 7) pivoted at 18 to brackets 19 fixed to the under-frame of the car platform. The car step is connected for operation sin'iultaneously with either door by the following mechanism: The arm 17 (Figs. 6 and 7) has a rearwardly and down wardly extending projection 20 to which a link 21 is pivoted by a horizontally extending stud or bolt 22. At its opposite end the link 21 is connected to a second link 23 by avertically extending bolt 2%. The opposite end of the link 23 is connected by a horizontal bolt 25 to an ear 26 upon the side of a collar 27 which is pivotally mounted upon a vertical stud 28 fixed in an arm 29 forming one part of a bell crank 30 which is pivoted upon a fixed stud 31. The links 21 and 23 i and the collar 27 constitute a universal conthe shaft 14 which supports the door 12..

Heavy coil springs 38-38 (Figs. 4-and are mounted upon a rod 18 which consti- 15 remains stationary.

tutes the pivot for the step 16, one end of eachspring being extended as indicated at 39 to engage the lower side of the step while the opposite end is similarly extended and engages a fixed part of the platform frame. The tension of the spring is so disposed that the springs normally act to swing the step upward to closed position. With this arrangement of parts, the swinging of the door 12 outwardly to its open position will force the plunger 35 into the sleeve 34 until it engages the casting 33. The parts 33, 34 and 35 thereafter constitute a rigid link, transmitting motion from the arm 37 on the shaft 14 to the arm 32 of the bell-crank 30.

The resulting movement of the bell-crank '30 is transmitted through the arm 29 and sleeve 34 connected to the arm 17 at the opposite end of the step must necessarily move in a corresponding manner, but the plunger 35 being fixed to the arm 37 upon the shaft This condition necessitates relative movement between the sleeve 34 and the plunger 35 which is permitted by the slidable connection between these parts. Should the door 13 be thereafter opened, its plunger 35 will be moved freely along its sleeve 34 and will contact with the end of the sleeve as the door reaches its open position.

themselves to open and closed position constitutes no part of my invention and any suitable devices may be utilized therefor. One form of such mechanism is shown in the drawings, in which the operating devices are disposed under the car roof, above the doors. Arms 40 and 40 are secured to the upper ends of shafts 14 and 15 respectively and are connected by rods 41 and 41 and castings 42 and 42 to arms 43 and 43 (Fig. 8) mounted respectively upon an operating shaft 44 and an operating sleeve 45.

At its upper end the shaft 44 has a bearing in a bracket. (not shown) secured to the roof frame. and at its lower end a bearing is provided in a fitting 47 forming part of a U-shaped rail 48 supported upon the car platform or upon the end of the car body.

A handle 49 is detachably connected to a collar 50 secured to the shaft 44 above the fitting 47 and constitutes means for turning the shaft 44 and thereby operating the entrance door 12. The sleeve 45 is positioned by the shaft 44 and is provided with a collar 51 and a detachable handle 52 by which the exit door 13 may be operated. WVith these connections, it will be seen that either door may be opened or closed independently, and that whenever either of the doors is open the step will be in operative position, while upon the closing of the second door the step will be raised. The mechanism above described is particularly designed for operation by the conductor, the U-shaped rail 48 defining the conductors station.

Precisely similar mechanism may be provided'for the doors and step upon the opposite side of the car, for use by the motorman when the car is running in the opposite direction. The only difference in the mechanism resides in the different location of the operating handles and the parts associated therewith. For the use of the motorman I provide a shaft 60 and a sleeve concentric therewith, both provided with operating handles at their lower ends and having arms at their upper ends connected by rods 61 and 62 to the arms 63 and 64 upon the door supporting shafts 65 and 66.

Having thus described my invention, it will be evident that many changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set forth in the claims and I do not Wish to be otherwise limited to the details herein disclosed but What I do claim is g 1. In a passenger car in combination, a platform, separate entrance and exit side doors for said platform, a movable step, means to operate each side door independently, and connections from said means to said step, each connection including an extensible member effective under certain conditions to move the step positively to operative position and also under difi'erent conditions to permit movement of the step while the door associated with the connection remains closed.

2. In a passenger car in combination, a platform, separate entrance and exit side doors for said platform, a movable step, a separate set of operating devices for each door, and separate connections from each set to the movable step, each connection including a freely extensible member of fixed minimum length efiective to move the step positively to operative position when actuated by its operating device, and to permit actuation of said step by the other set of operating devices, during which latter actudoors for said platform, a movable step, a spring for moving said step to inoperative position, a separate set of operating devices for each door, and connections from said devices to said step effective to permit movement of said step to operative position by either set of operating devices independently of the other set of operating devices.

4. In a passenger car in combination, a platform, separate entrance and exit side doors for said platform, a movable step, a spring for moving said step to inoperative position, a separate set of operating devices for each door, and connections from said devices to said step, said connections being freely extensible but of fixed minimum length and including a sleeve and a plunger freely slidable outwardly along said sleeve.

5. In a passenger car in combination, a platform, separate entrance and exit side doors for said platform, a movable step, a rod upon which said step is pivoted, spiral springs encircling said rod and adapted to move said step to raised position an upright operating shaft for each door, extending downward below the platform manually operated means for moving said shaft, an arm on the lower end of each shaft, a plunger pivoted to each arm, a sleeve slidable on each plunger, and universal connections from each sleeve to said step.

6. In a passenger car in combination, a platform, separate entrance and exit side doors for said platform, a movable step, means to move said step to inoperative position, separate operating devices for each door and separate connections from said devices to said step, efiective to position said step for use when either or both doors are open, and to permit said step to be moved to inoperative position when both doors are closed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. TURNER.

Witnesses:

V. J. MCKEE, WALTER A. MORRILL.

tlopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

